Yerawada jail lab to be revamped to reduce dependence on Sassoon hospital

Sep 22, 2011, 07:11 IST
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Kaumudi Gurjar

After many cases of inmates escaping, authorities take steps to cut down on referrals to general hospital

After many cases of inmates escaping, authorities take steps to cut down on referrals to general hospital

Too many cases of prison inmates escaping from the Sassoon General Hospital has made the jail authorities in the city take some steps that will reduce their dependence on the government hospital. The jail authorities are concentrating on enhancing the laboratory set-up on the Yerawada prison premises. Officials believe this will reduce referrals to the general hospital for diagnosis.

"Medical Facilities Improvement Funds have been granted by the state Home Ministry as every year. We are in the process of making a priority list for improvement of facilities inside the hospital," Inspector General (Prisons) Sanjay Kumar Verma said.

"This year we will allot a portion of the budget for the purchase of necessary equipment for the laboratory to enable us to conduct several tests." Verma said the hospital at Yerwada jail has all primary healthcare facilities and is one of the best in state prisons. He said the jail hospital has four full-fledged doctors and gets a steady supply of medicines.

The officer said priority would be given to the purchase of incubators, which were mentioned in the earlier budget but could not be bought because of procedural delays. On the escape from Sassoon of rape and murder accused Yogesh Raut, Verma said it was the responsibility of the policemen who were escorting inmates to be extra-cautious.

The police declaration that an award will be given to anyone sharing information on Raut has brought no success. "Our teams are looking for Raut, but there is no breakthrough," Assistant Police Inspector S L Dubal, who is investigating the case, said.